Because gold is chemically inactive to most common reagents, gold is difficult to pattern. As a consequence direct etching of gold, requiring harsh reagents such as aqua regia, is not practical when gold is to be patterned on substrates reactive to the gold etchant. Thus, for example, in the fabrication of gold interconnects on semiconductor substrates it is common practice to pattern the gold by a lift off process rather than by direct etching.
In a typical lift off process, a protective layer of material such as photoresist is formed on the substrate in an inverse of the desired pattern. The photoresist is applied over the surface of the substrate and is patterned by photolithography so all portions of the substrate surface not to be covered with gold are covered with photoresist. An intermediate layer to promote adhesion, such as titanium, is applied to the substrate. A layer of gold is then applied over the titanium, and the underlying photoresist is dissolved away. The composite metal layer lifts off the areas where the titanium contacts only photoresist but remains where it contacts the substrate.
While the lift off process permits patterning of gold without the use of harsh etchants, the process has serious limitations in the fabrication of integrated circuit devices. The lift off process presents adhesion problems due to residual polymeric material from the photoresist. The intermediate layer is typically applied to a substrate surface containing residual polymeric material, weakening its adhesion to the substrate. In addition, the tearing off of the metal produces irregularities around the periphery of the gold pattern. Accordingly, there is need for an improved process for patterning gold.